A quick Test Drive of this one will have this game selling itself. Gamespot's "review" is WAY off.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are, in a word, gorgeous. The car models are all extremely accurate. Character models don't look bad....they could have been polished a bit better. However, the thing to remember in this one is that the cars are the star of the show..not your avatar. And the street machines are represented very well. The ennvironments are very sharp and crisp, and doing doughnuts has never been so much fun. I say this because after about three or four you won't be able to see your hand in front of your face from the nice smoke effects they included. Houses and garages are detailed, but again, I can not stress enough the amount of time and detail that was crafted into these car models. The biggest thing to mention here though is sensation of speed. It's there. Project Gotham didn't have it as far as I was concerned. But this game does it in spades, and is very realistic about it as well.
Sound: Alot of games can learn from this one. The game allows you to raise and lower your windows. That said, even at idle, try lowering and raising the windows. You can actually hear the engine better with the windows down, just as in reality. The wind noise was a definite nice touch as well. The soundtrack is a mix-and-match combo of everything from punk to Beethoven..and that's not an exaggeration. I wasn't blown away by it by any means, but it served it's purpose. Not to mention I always turn the radio off anyway so that I can hear the engine noise. The engine sounds in this game are superb. Very impressed with the sound presentation on this one.
Controls: Braking and sliding around corners takes some getting used to, but after awhile you'll have the hang of it. Throttle response is definitly there, as it is very possible to cruise at a steady speed and then lay on it, causing the front end to lift on the faster cars. Manuvering the map is easy, as waypoints are easy to find. I'd have to say they did one heck of a job on this one. And having the left bumper be the look back button was genious. Gameplay: You're cruising along a two-lane road, heading up into some hills on your way to the local car dealership of your choice. You've got your windows down, radio playing quietly in the background so as not to overwhelm the calm purr of the engine as it idles steady at 60 mph, the sun shining off the fresh red custom paint job on your recently-purchased Ferrari F430. You take in the scenery, now and again hearing the loud rev of an engine as one of your fellow auto enthusiasts flies past in the other direction. Coming up on traffic, you shift down into third. Your GPS audibly informs you that you are 3 miles from your destination. With a smile you wait for oncoming traffic to clear, then pull out and mash the gas. Welcome to Test Drive Unlimited. This game is the perfect driving sim. You purchase your car at the dealership. Pick everything from exterior color to interior color, rims, etc. All the vehicles are fully licensed and ready to hit the pavement. I had high expectations for this game, but it surpassed even those. The framerate runs smooth, the entire package just comes together very well. If you are a car enthusiast, you will find SOMETHING you like to drive in the game's 125 car selection. Or...maybe you'd rather have a motorcyle? How does a Ducati sound? Because you can do it. You can even buy different outfits for your avatar to better represent your own personal style. Drive around and find all the tuning shops and soup up your car to your own expectations. For anyone who has ever wanted to test drive that supercar they wish they could afford, this game makes that dream a reality. The detailed cockpit view this game offers beats out even PGR3 in my opinion. All in all, this game is alot of bang for your buck and would have been so even at $60. Car enthusiasts, your game is here. Get out and get this game. As a rental, I can recommend it. But after you take the test drive, you'll be wanting to buy this one hands down. Test Drive Unlimited. Welcome to the open road ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy.